Apple Classroom & 5 Reasons you need Apple Classroom in your iPad classroom

If you don't know already, I am using Apple Classroom in my technology classes this year. I talk about how it came about, how we use it, and what it is like to set up for multiple classes in another blog post here.

Today, I want to focus more on what Apple Classroom does, and why I think that it is such a valuable tool to use in any iPad classroom. Here are my top 5 reasons that you should look into Apple Classroom.

Screen Control: Did you know that you can view all of your students screens at one time? It also tells you what app they are on. You can see what program they are using, and close them out of it if they are not on task. Talk about having eyes everywhere - you're like Santa Claus. You really can see everything they're doing.
Instant App/Internet Opening: With just one click, you can open any app on the students device. You can do the same thing with any favorite that you have on the internet. How great is it to be able to say go here, and it open automatically on your students. With my older students, I like them to navigate the iPad and get to where they need to be. My younger students, I love this function because it could take half of my time in their classroom getting each student unit the program I need them to be in.
Locked Devices: At any point in time, you can lock the student devices. This means that their screen turned black, says that it was locked by you, and they can't do anything with it until you unlock it.
Sharing via Keynote: For those of you that are like me and are a Microsoft school instead of a Google one, it seemed that I was out of luck when it came to Shari g presentations and activities with my students. While I can't do everything that a GoogleDoc or Slide can do, I can share any presentations that I make in Keynote (like Slides or PowerPoint) with my students in an editable form.
AirDrop Turning In: Again, while it's not quite as easy as Google Classroom, Apple Classroom does allow students to turn anything into you via AirDrop. You can then save those files into anything on your device for easy grading.

If that doesn't convince you, I don't know what will. Seriously, it is fabulous and I love the way it works. Let me know if you have any other questions. I would be happy to answer them!

Happy Teaching,

Hilary

Comments

Build Your Wild Self {Animal Adaptations}

Build Your Wild Self was a site that I just stumbled upon, but was probably one of my students favorite activities that we did all year. Basically, students are able to create themselves by playing with their body, hair, eyes, mouth, clothes. They can then make themselves "wild" by adding headgear, ears, face, arms, bottoms, backsides, and tails that are all body parts of wild animals. This activity isn't all fun though - there is educational value too! Once the students are done creating their "wild self" they will click I'M DONE. This will take them to the next page where it will explain to the students what is "wild" about them. It will tell them where their wild parts came from and why those parts are important to the survival of that particular animal. So there you have it - educational and a ton of fun! Just wait to see what kind of creatures your students come up with! It will be entertaining, I guarantee you that much. Try it ou...

Powtoon {Cartoon Presentation Software}

Powtoon was introduced to me by a friend who was working on a presentation for one of our professional development days. She was talking about how boring PowerPoint could get when it was presenting information to those who were forced to attend meetings. She was going to try something different - and that is where Powtoon came in. Powtoon is a presentation software that allows you to share information using cartoons, speech bubbles, and animations. Basically, you can make cartoons enter and exit your screen at any point, and they can share information while they are there. Think about Saturday morning cartoons that you are creating yourself to share something that is of interest to you! There are some great graphics and you can even add your own images and sound. Let's be real here, who wouldn't like a presentation where cartoons are teaching you about the next latest and greatest in the world of education? Try it out & let me know what you think, Mrs. Tech ...

Easy Teacher Halloween Costumes

As we prep for Halloween, I wanted to share with you some super easy costume ideas that I have found that I think our students would enjoy. I have linked them all to their original source (if I could find it) so you can read any helpful hints they might have posted. Emojis Smarty Pants If You Give A Mouse a Cookie (& friends) Monsters University Winnie the Pooh Crew Cookie Monster Thing 1 & 2 M&Ms What are you dressing up as for Halloween? - Hilary

Mrs. Tech

Search This Blog